Gear review: Ticla GOOD Kit

Ticla GOOD Kit

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Camping is, and always will be, the best lodging value. Campsites range from free (setting up on national or state forest land) to $30/night for a shady site with a firepit, picnic bench and screaming kids as your neighbors.

For the car-camper, the Ticla GOOD Kit ($210) makes that $30/night as comfortable as possible.

I tested this set out this spring and summer on “glamping” trips and my verdict is that it’s a great product for the value-conscious car camper.

The Rambler sleeping bag feels more like sleeping on your bed sheets than in a sleeping bag. That’s a good thing, by the way. It has a “warm” side with a little extra insulation to keep out the spring chill to about 15 degrees and a “cooler” side for the warmer months of summer.

Because it isn’t a mummy-sack design, you can actually twist and turn and roll over inside the bag without being constricted. On its own it runs $130.

The Tsubo sleeping pad self-inflates and fairly quick. Same with deflating, though you do have to roll around on it a bit (like any sleeping pad) to get all the air out. Comfort-wise, it’s thick and plush and in the league of my Exped Downmat. Sadly, is probably more durable than the Exped.

On its own, the Tsubo is $90.

With the GOOD Kit, you save $10. Plus you get the oversized stuff sack to hold the Tsubo sleeping pad and the Rambler sleeping bag sans the struggle that comes with stuffing down sleeping bags into something the size of a plastic sandwich bag.

You also have room left in the stuff sack for a book, pillow, headlamp, all the little items for sleeping that you want to keep together for organization purposes.

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Marie Malinowski is an Eagan-based white water kayaker, sea kayaker, mountain biker, rock climber, backpacker, and skier. She's game for anything that requires a helmet. Marie can be contacted at marie.malinowski@gmail.com.